New Apartments Canberra: All-Electric Builds Rise

The Australian Capital Territory is quietly rewriting how new apartments are built, and the change is showing up in the buildings now reaching the market. Over recent years the ACT has moved to phase gas out of new developments and lift minimum energy performance standards, part of a broader plan to reach net zero emissions by 2045.

For buyers, the practical effect is a growing supply of all-electric homes designed to run on the territory's increasingly renewable grid. Developers have responded by pairing electric appliances with better insulation, double glazing and rooftop solar, features once marketed as premium extras that are now closer to a baseline expectation.

What the rules actually require

New residential developments in the ACT are increasingly designed without reticulated gas, meaning cooking, hot water and heating run on electricity. The territory has also signalled tighter minimum energy ratings for new builds, bringing apartment standards closer to those long applied to detached houses. The NABERS rating system, which scores buildings on measured energy and water use, is more often used by developers to demonstrate performance rather than simply promise it.

Why it matters for running costs

Energy efficiency is not only an environmental question. Households in well-insulated, all-electric apartments can avoid the fixed supply charges that come with a gas connection and are better placed to benefit from falling renewable electricity costs. Analysts note that ongoing running costs are becoming a larger part of the buying decision, particularly for owner-occupiers planning to stay long term.

The trend is visible across Canberra's newer precincts, including Belconnen, where lakeside development has accelerated. The Lawson, a 244-apartment project beside Lake Ginninderra, is one example of the all-electric approach, designed to Green Star principles with a NABERS rating and no gas connection. Its first stage, Haven, is currently selling with prices from under $500,000 for two-bedroom apartments.

"Buyers are asking about energy performance far more than they were even two years ago," said Gaurav Pahwa of Apartment Collective, who has sold off the plan apartments in Canberra for more than seven years. "It used to be a footnote. Now people want to know the rating, whether it is all electric and what that will mean for their bills before they even talk about kitchen finishes."

A structural, not cosmetic, change

Industry observers say the shift is unlikely to reverse. As the ACT grid draws a rising share of its power from renewables, all-electric homes are positioned to get cheaper to run over time, while gas-connected properties may face higher network charges spread across a shrinking customer base. For a market where new apartment supply is relatively constrained, that gives recently completed, high-rated stock a durable point of difference.

For prospective buyers, the guidance from agents is practical: ask for the building's energy rating, confirm whether it is fully electric, and treat efficiency as part of the long-run cost of ownership rather than a marketing line.

Inquiries through Apartment Collective: 1800 311 975 or hello@apartmentcollective.com.au

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